Saturday 26 September 2009

Open thread - Beautiful France

Patrick is a very talented photographer and worked his magic on the visit to France earlier this month. I would like to share some of his very beautiful pictures with our readers.





I'll be out having fun tonight, so you can continue earlier discussions here, or start new ones...

(Click on photos to enlarge)

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52 comments:

CC said...

Patrick, what beautiful photos!!

Regina, you live in such a gorgeous part of our world (spoken from a true francophile).... will you adopt me? *grin*

Have a wonderful time tonight, you deserve it.

Karen said...

Thanks! I will pretend to be in France tonight.

CC said...

Oy! Spoken from = spoken by..

I obviously need more coffee...

Patrick said...

Thanks for putting these pictures up, Regina! (blush)

These are just a few pictures I did for fun in France with an old medium-format camera.

In case we have camera-buffs here - this is the camera I used:

http://tinyurl.com/yepugkm

Anonymous said...

Hope you have a great time, Regina!

Great pictures, Patrick! Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Sarah Palin is not a major news topic and in a post-Palin world...

"Last season, a golden egg filled with laughs and publicity was laid in the lap of 'Saturday Night Live' during the 2008 TV season and election year. By mere chance, republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin happened to look exactly like 'SNL' alumnus Tina Fey. Even better for the show, Fey's ability to pull off an uncanny impression of the Russia-seeing former governor of Alaska propelled the show into nearly every weekend headline in the lead-up to the presidential election. But now that Sarah Palin is not a major news topic and the political cycle has died down, can 'SNL' keep up their momentum in a post-Palin world?"


Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/saturday-night-live-saturday-night-live-couric-palin-open/1855790115

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/saturday-night-live-saturday-night-live-vp-debate-open-palin-biden/1918419239

crystalwolf aka caligrl said...

Thanks Regina for sharing Patrick's wonderful pics, and thanks Patrick for sharing info on your camera...a oldie but a goodie :)

wayofpeace said...

ah, FRANCE: the moving feast!

thanks from another FRANCOPHILE.

((( wave to CC

Anonymous said...

Khadafy/Palin what's the difference?

Palin's rambling diatribe:

After struggling to turn Palin’s insane ramblings at the CLSA into English for 75 minutes, the Alaskan dictator’s personal interpreter got lost in translation. "I just can’t take it any more," Palin’s interpreter shouted into the live microphone – in Palinese. At that point, the Alakan mouthpiece, Meghan Stapleton, took over and translated the final 20 minutes of the speech. "Her interpreter just collapsed – this is the first time I have seen this in 25 years," another CLSA interpreter told The Post. Breaking with protocol, Palin brought her own interpreters from Wasilla for Wednesday’s speech rather than use one of the 25 translators supplied by the CLSA, staff interpreters said. "This is the best team in the world – most heads of state prefer to use these interpreters because then – no matter what happens – they can blame the interpreter," one staffer said. Palin told CLSA that she was supplying her own Palinese and English interpreters because she would be speaking a special dialect only they would understand, but staff interpreters said she actually spoke standard Palinese. Those who have translated for Palin in the past said they could empathize with her interpreter's exasperation. It’s not just the zany conspiracy theories about Obama's death panels and the main street media that are a challenge, but the loony Alaskan’s strange mannerisms. "She’s not exactly the most lucid speaker," another English interpreter said. "It’s not just that what she’s saying is illogical, but the way she’s saying it is bizarre. However, I think I could have made her sound a lot better." Palin has a habit of repeating the same phrase over and over again, "which is good because if you don’t understand what she says the first time you can get it right the second or third time," the interpreter said. The Ex-Gov's extemporaneous ramblings are a particular challenge, another interpreter said. "Sometimes she mumbles, sometimes she talks to herself," he said.’ Stapleton, who had to rescue the beleaguered interpreter, was given the day off yesterday. "Ten minutes with Palin earns you a lot of annual leave," one interpreter said.

Albert Lewis said...

What? No pictures of *food!? You should have at least taken a shot of a fresh baguette with sweet butter or brie. Maybe better a shot of one of you just after you've taken a bite of it and have closed your eyes in pleasure.

Anonymous said...

Bree Palin is reporting that McCain is doing a fundraiser for Romney!
Here it comes: the end of Palin and the GOP?

Patrick said...

Albert,

we had lots of nice baguette, with salted butter...mmmhhhmmm....but I haven't taken pictures of it, unfortunately.

What I have taken, however, is a picture of a bottle of Champagne which we had one evening, together with our brilliant silver ice bucket which we bought that day at a street market in Montmarte...the water stays ice-cold for many hours in it. :-)

Hope you like it:

http://www.box.net/shared/yu1y3rye3k

Patrick said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

National Enquirer

Amy1 said...

To the collapsed interpreter: "A day without SP is like a month in the country." Hope interpreter recovers and can go on to lead a normal life.

Anonymous said...

Bon Soir!

Hope you have a nice evening and lots of fun! Love the site, very informative. Please keep it up! Thanks Patrick and all of the friends here on Palingates!

Patrick, love the shots. I am an amateur photographer, but alas, I can only use the DSLRs since that is what I started on.

Keep up the good work guys..and please know that you have a lot of supporters.

CC said...

Patrick, I love that Ice Bucket. And what a fabulous picture. You are quite the photographer, too!

What a talented group we have ... :-)

(((Wave to WOP ... hope you're well.

Anonymous said...

Thanks to the Anon for posting the NE link - that story is not in the issue that's currently out with Whitney and Oprah on the cover - but I'll be on the lookout for when the new one pops up.

Anonymous said...

Bree, I'm not the anon who posted the NE link, but it's clearly an old story, as it calls Palin the VP nominee candidate....I think it's from 2008.

Anonymous said...

LOL, Anon thanks, I see where down at the bottom it says published on 09/17/2008 - clearly I wasn't paying attention!

KaJo said...

Since this is an open thread that is all about pictures, here's a Photoshopped picture that I'm sure you all will appreciate!

I didn't do it -- but before you click on the link, think about what happened to the Dixie Chicks when they criticized George Bush while in London for a concert in 2003, and what they did to take on their critics.

Anonymous said...

A note to Patrick from a paranoid fan. Your photos are beautiful, and I have no idea where in France you took them. I hope for the sake of keeping Regina's location in France a mystery that they were take someplace else, while you were traveling around. The reason that I mention it is that there is a phone number above the real estate office, and I hope that it has nothing to do with Regina's location. Still, If you could manage to digitally cover up the phone number, I don't want to add to any on line information about our favorite blog-mistress.

Unknown said...

Thanks for paling around with pj clad bloggers in the country that inspired Bushies to want to re-name french fries. The photos are a reality check-when all this is solved and she-who-won't-be-named- today is 'outed' on the national scene. BP and AP:(before Palin and after)-ahh, beautiful life as depicted in the photos without the negativity of this blog's subject matter. Vacation On, March On, comrades.

get real said...

Nice pics but I like the pics that Bree Palin posted on her website that show a non-pregnant Palin on April 8, 2008 even more.

http://breepalin.blogspot.com/2009/09/sarah-palins-guide-to-procrastination.html

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos Patrick.....lucky you to have a medium format camera....and I love the black and white!

Yes Bree has come up with a video and some fantastic screenshots!

Anonymous said...

In case some of you missed this JUICY post on the previous thread from Anon:

"On a side note, it is said in the Valley the Palin's are building a place for Bristol on the lot next to theirs on the lake. They have a nanny for both babies and they have bought Bristol her own car. Nice work if you can get it. Why do they need a nanny when no one in that house works?"

I had previously read that the Palins bought the neighboring lot and were clearing the land. At that time I wondered what they were up to.

Thoughts:
1) Is that how you reward your daughter who is an 18 year old unmarried mother of two?

2) Maybe it's more of a bribe to keep her quiet than a reward.

3) Is Todd and his buddies building this house also, too?

4) $P buying a new car for Bristol reminds me of the nice new red truck 'Levi purchased' last year.

5) The nanny would be the Palins' explanation of why the two babies (supposedly uncle and nephew -- yeah right) are together so often.

6) I had wondered how Sarah and Todd were going to deal with Bristol once she wanted to leave the family home. Bristol seems to be Trig's main caregiver so what to do when she plans to move out? Answer: move her next door!

7) Where will Trig sleep at night?
My guess is that he will be with his brother Tripp.

8) Can they make this any more obvious?? DISGUSTING!!

ProChoiceGrandma said...

I just saw the video at BreePalin's site, and wow, I have never seen that full video! Faux Noise must have thought they had buried it, and they did a pretty good job, until now. Great job, Bree!

Anonymous said...

Everyone who cares about babygate MUST go see the video on Breepalin's website.

I have followed this very closely and I have never seen that video.

NO ONE would tell you that woman was giving birth in 10 days.

THIS VIDEO IS THE END.

Anonymous said...

Patrick,

The photos look wonderful in B&W. Some members of my family fail to see the point of doing B&W photography, while I wonder what is wrong with them (my family).

I hope one day to visit the country of my origin. :)

wes_ben said...

That is THE nail. I knew from day one that she did not have that baby.

wayofpeace said...

i concur:

the newly discovered video by BREE is the ultimate affront to quitter-liar-greedy-loopy $ARAH.

and that the video is from FAUX 'news' is (ah!!!) poetic justice.

Anonymous said...

Since this is an open thread, can I just say, love the France photos. I'm an old francophile.

AND I so agree that the Fox video from Bree Palin is the END!!!! Palin was so not pregnant. I have never tried to get my husband to look at Babygate evidence before, but i got him to see Bree's evidence, and he "got" it. (If you knew my husband, you'd know that this is a sign that it is evidence that "men who mostly don't want to think about these female things" will comprehend...)

ProChoiceGrandma said...

Anon @ 18:15, please share more! I would love to hear a description of your husband's facial expression or what he said when he "got it"!

wes_ben said...

Anon 18:15, I did the exact same thing to my husband this morning (after scaring the sh*t out of him, guess I didn't have to yell "i knew it"! :) His reaction? How does she and the rest of the republicans get away with out-right lying?

Casey said...

I am so grateful to bloggers like Bree, Regina and Patrick. I worry though, because it seems that right wing pols can get away with almost anything. Think Sanford, Vitter, Ensign and so many others.

What if in the end, it can be proved that Palin did not give birth to Trig, and her fans just give her a pass. I know they will find excuses to justify her behaviour, and quite possibly make her out to be some kind of motherly saint. What then?

This is all so darn maddening.

Laurie

Anonymous said...

I have gotten an error notice on two Blogger blogs this morning - Gryphen's and Bree's. Anyone else?

Anonymous said...

Lovely photographs, Patrick! You have a good eye.

Thank youto Regina, Patrick and Bree for all you are doing. Alaskans truly want this sham of a woman exposed. This pregnancy never happened. How could anyone believe it with all the photographic evidence you have found?

snowbilly said...

Very nice pics, Patrick. Thanks for sharing them.

Off-topic: I saw Glenn Beck's interview with Katie Couric, where she tried to get him to say what "White Culture" is (he was afraid of a "trap" and wouldn't answer). So, it hit me, "like a landscape seen by lightning," as I made the connection with Scarah's "Real America." There is some intersection, some crossroads, there, at the intersection of "White Culture" and "Real Americal." I wonder whether it doesn't morph into "White America."

You know, they see a multi-culutual society with "White Culture" at the top of the heap, rather than one where "White Culture" is just another subculture, like black culture or hispanic culture or cuban culture. So I think that they're very afraid. Thing is, they are too late!

Anyway, I think that this "Real America" and "White Culture" stuff could be a fruitful line of inquiry. What do they mean?

It's so funny. Katie Couric asks simple questions. Her "What do you read?" was just a question to get a conversation going, but Scarah freaked-out.


"as a lighning seen by landscape" is from "To The Lighthouse." Forget the author's name -- senior moment? -- but she is a famous English novelist.

snowbilly said...

P.S. I remember "like a landscape seen by lightning," because it expresses the same idea that was expressed years later by "it flashed on me."

Virginia Woolf -- google remembered.

Amy1 said...

Yes! definitely go to BreePaln's site for the video -- I had not seen it before, either. What a great find.

Those first few seconds that show the video of the incriminating "stairs" photo (independently dated April 8, conclusively!) and the screen grabs are great.

Lest anyone sympathize with the "double standard" talking heads, please remember that this isn't about SP's personal life or her children, it's about LYING TO THE U.S. ELECTORATE. Repeatedly. Perpetrating a hoax in which she herself enmeshed her minor children in a way NO politician I can think of has ever done before.

Shame on the hoax!

Shame on lying!

Shame on involving your children!

Amy1 said...

Can anyone tell us what happened to the faked pregnancy on Desperate Housewives? After baby is born, do they get away with it? Or does the show end, or what?

ProChoiceGrandma said...

Amy1 @ 21:28, I totally agree with you. Sarah’s pregnancy hoax is just a sample of how she would handle a matter of national importance – if she felt the least bit embarrassed or threatened, she would LIE. And take revenge on anyone who dares confront her about her lie.

ProChoiceGrandma said...

Amy1 @21:32, as to what happened to the faked pregnancy on Desperate Housewives? I don’t know! I was hoping that people who watch the show would comment more about it. I know I have seen a few people who had seen Season 4 of Desperate Housewives comment about it in the past on PD, and since I had never seen the episodes, I halfway dismissed it. But when I finally googled DH, and saw the timing especially, it was one of those OMFG moments, Sarah actually copied the script! I think Danielle (Bristol) comes back later and tries to take Benjamin (Trig) but I don’t know what happened. Makes you wonder about the house being built next door, the new car, etc. if Bristol is threatening to follow the script as well. I need to watch the rest of Season 4 and Season 5 to see what happened.

I can tell you one thing, I am going to start watching DH this season! As well as Modern Family!

Anonymous said...

Has anybody sent a link to the video to Andrew Sullivan yet? Methinks he needs to know about it.

Amy1 said...

PCG: In DH, they foreshadowed the birth mother's discontent with her decision a couple of times -- so I figured it would be more grist for the DH mill, later on.

Re Bristol's house, if it is indeed being built right next to SP's: remember in the Greta video after T2's birth, Bristol said she wished it had all happened later, in 10 yrs, after she had -- (I thought she would say "her education," or "her marriage," or "her career" or "more wisdom," -- but NO! she said -- ) HER OWN HOUSE.

So I'm guessing the deal was already in the works then, or being negotiated.

And why not? SP owes her, big time. They owe each other. If no SP/VP action, then the big bucks would not be following now. If no BP cooperation with the hoax, SP might have been knocked out earlier, so again, less access to the big bucks.

Maybe they figured it would all come out in time, but so far, with the book deal, and the Speakers' Bureau probably yielding a few more of these China-like talks, they are going to have enough of a nest egg even if it all goes south soon.

I would say SP has succeeded big-time in providing financial security all around. So she's the big winner in all of this. I suppose jail time in her future would take some of the bloom off, but maybe not, if it's just a few years.

Moral of the story (so far): crime DOES pay, and rather well.

Amy1 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I would like to second the notion of someone sending Bree's link to Andrew Sullivan.

Also, has anyone else seen "The Informant" starring Matt Damon? It's about a lying corporate trickster who fools the FBI and others while he pockets millions of dollars; people just take him "at his word" while he concocts the wildest stories about why things are going wrong. I don't want to give too much away, but it doesn't end well for him or for his corporation--or for the FBI. Reminded me of our $P....

winkwinkWA said...

I just watched another movie with the fake preg. bellie. "Baby Mama' with Tina Fey & Amy Poethler, Fey hires a surrogate to have her baby. Funny movie but I kept thinking of $palin through the whole thing.

Patrick said...

That was a brilliant find by Bree Palin!! How could we have missed that before? Simply amazing.

By the way, I have said this before on "palingates", but I would like it to mention again: We have highly reliable inside information about the fact that babygate is real.

Amy1 said...

Okay, okay, I stand corrected: Moral of the story (so far):

unethical behavior (up to and including crime) DOES pay, and rather well.

jo said...

She will not be able to run on we are middle class just like you anymore. It was a lie before anyway, before she was tapped they had over 1.5 million in money, assets, and investments with a nearly $300,000 a year income. Now $300,000 a year is not chump change, I would love it if our family made a fourth of that, but $300,000 a year really does not justify the amount of wealth they all ready had.

Now with her trust fund, book deal, and speaking tours they will have to be considered quite well off. If it is true they are building B a new house, it must mean they have no plans to move out of AK. All the millions wouldn't exclude them from buying another house or two in other states though.

Anonymous said...

Everybody knows Sarah did not give birth to Trig.... she bought him on Ebay!

Thank you Regina, Audrey, Bree, Patrick, Gryphen and all others for keeping this story going... one day it will be on MSM.

We need Shannyn and Mudflats to help push it to MSM